UGW
New Member
I just figured this out and wanted to share; maybe someone else can use it. If your Imperial doesn't have AutoPilot, you have the ability to run at least 3 new wires from the engine bay to the passenger compartment without making any changes to your firewall. Even better, it will look completely factory!
I added a tachometer to my '63, trying to copy the style of a 300 from the same year. I needed to run a signal wire from the tach to the coil. While looking at the main wiring connector in the engine bay, I realized the empty port that would have been used by the AutoPilot wiring looked like a standard Packard/Delphi 3-prong connector. I took a connector from my American Autowire kit (which I highly recommend if you own one of these cars) and it fit perfectly!
Here's what I did:
WARNING: You'll be working right above a wire that goes straight to the battery positive terminal, and is always live. (Thick, red wire) I highly recommend disconnecting your battery before you start!
- Pushed a male Packard 56 terminal through from behind the dash. The socket in the bulkhead connector is set up to accept it, but I did need to poke through the thin plastic with a pocket knife to open the hole.
- In the engine bay, ran a female Packard 56 terminal though a female 3-prong connector
- Pushed the female connector into the bulkhead connector. It was a very snug fit, but I suppose that's a good thing.
- (Not pictured) ran the tach wire along the same path as the oil pressure sensor and alternator wiring to the coil
I wanted to share this because it looks so good - like it came that way - and was very easy to do. If your car doesn't have AutoPilot, you can probably use this for any circuit that doesn't need high amperage: gauges, relays, sensors, etc.
I added a tachometer to my '63, trying to copy the style of a 300 from the same year. I needed to run a signal wire from the tach to the coil. While looking at the main wiring connector in the engine bay, I realized the empty port that would have been used by the AutoPilot wiring looked like a standard Packard/Delphi 3-prong connector. I took a connector from my American Autowire kit (which I highly recommend if you own one of these cars) and it fit perfectly!
Here's what I did:
WARNING: You'll be working right above a wire that goes straight to the battery positive terminal, and is always live. (Thick, red wire) I highly recommend disconnecting your battery before you start!
- Pushed a male Packard 56 terminal through from behind the dash. The socket in the bulkhead connector is set up to accept it, but I did need to poke through the thin plastic with a pocket knife to open the hole.
- In the engine bay, ran a female Packard 56 terminal though a female 3-prong connector
- Pushed the female connector into the bulkhead connector. It was a very snug fit, but I suppose that's a good thing.
- (Not pictured) ran the tach wire along the same path as the oil pressure sensor and alternator wiring to the coil
I wanted to share this because it looks so good - like it came that way - and was very easy to do. If your car doesn't have AutoPilot, you can probably use this for any circuit that doesn't need high amperage: gauges, relays, sensors, etc.
